Should Guest be Expected to Clean when Host Charges a Cleaning Fee?

[Rob183]

Hi there, 

Curious on this one as a guest and a host.   My wife/friendsand I have been on opposite sides of the argument both as hosts and guests.

If a host charges a guest a cleaning fee (not small at $200 here in SF), what is the cleaning expectation of guests?

Some in our circles have argued guests should do the dishes and leave the place tidy.  Others have argued their paying a sizeable cleaning fee so why should they have to clean.

Curious what the community thinks and if there is a clear answer or it depends.

Thanks in Advance!

[Catherine342]

I have a small cleaning fee at my place. That way someone who stays one night has the same cleaning fee as those who stay longer. It is a good way to charge a little extra for a one night stay.

[Joshua160]

Hi John, when deciding what to charge for a cleaning fee keep in mind if you are not charging that fee separate from the nightly cost there are several things that may affect your bookings negatively. Your price may seem higher than the surrounding area and result in less bookings. You also may be overcharging your guests for the ones that do book. If you accept short term bookings you may not be getting enough from them to cover the costs of booking short term. I hope this helps, it would be easiest if you took an average cost to clean and made that your cleaning fee. Creating a house manual that includes how to clean or how to leave the place when checking out will also help the guests know what is expected of them. From my experience most guests are eager to leave your place in great condition. I hope this helps you.

[Sarah977]

While I do think guests should be fully responsible for washing their own dishes during their stay, I can see the possibility that if they are in a rush to catch a plane, or are maybe trying to respect the stated check-out time, that they might leave the last meal's worth of dishes in the sink. I'd talk to your cleaning crew about how you could arrange it with them if this happens. They should hopefully be willing to do a few dishes if this is the case, as long as it can be done within the cleaning time you are paying them for. And they should definitely let you know if it seems that the guests just left several meals worth of dirty dishes, as opposed to a last minute coffee mug and a few plates.

And, as Linda, said, if you are not on site to check for yourself, the cleaners really should check to see whether supposedly clean dishes actually have dried food or grease still on them, which could prove bad in the cleanliness rating for you.

[Cormac0]

John,

something to consider the cleaning fee remains fixed, while your nightly rate will be based on seasonality and demand...

[Aaltje0]

Asking your guests to do the dishes is a normal thing to ask. I have my Airbnb now for two and a half year and only had the odd person leave a mess. On the table at the entrance, there is a big folder, it shows them where to find good restaurants, info and background about us and the farm and in the end a friendly request to not wear shoes inside and leave the place tidy. Honestly, most people treat our unit with care and respect and I am amazed how even most people make the bed just before they leave. (well, that wasn't really needed, but a nice gesture) This is for the Airbnb group. Guests are reviewed and that is a very good thing! I don't have the same "success rate" with Booking.com group since hosts don't review their guests, which I think is not a good idea. 

Being a guest elsewhere, no matter where I go, I always leave the place spic and span, to be honest, just to make myself feel good, but it just shows respect. 

Even if guests leave the place "tidy" there is still lots to do after and to prepare for the next couple. 

You can never be clean enough. I never had the comment for my unit that is was "too clean" hahaha. 

It's the first thing what people notice. And yes, its hard work to keep up and yes it will cost you, but it will attract the tidy people too! Good luck with your business. Greetings from New Zealand, Ella Broekhuizen.

[Amy38]

A cleaning fee is tax deductible so it is in your interest to charge separately for it.  

You might want to invest in a dishwasher.  My guests are great, but I always have to inspect and frequently rewash their hand washed dishes.....people are not used to hand washing anything and are not good at it.  Your next guest may well find lipstick marks or oj pulp on their clean glass.

As for general rules, I ask people to treat the place as they would their grandmothers home.  Worst issues are minor drink spills on kitchen floor and a couple of dirty dishes in three years.

I do not expect them to do deep cleaning or to take out trash.  And I want to strip the bed myself to check for stains.

[Jotpunkt0]

Sounds fair! I bet people will be more willing to leave the place in a nice condition if they don't feel 'ripped off'. 

[Edwin57]

It depends on the mine set if you are a clean person then they will keep the place clean,and it dose not matter about the cleaning fee,and if you are a person that doesn't like to clean then the place will be dirty bottom line mine set,now if a person is paying for a service then they feel just a little bit needs to be clean mine set,now the person that's does not like to clean and they paying for a cleaning fee they won't care again mine set the real question here to me is keep it the way you see it clean on your way out is all on the mine set we yes we put out there 

[David126]

I would leave the place tidy but certainly not a lot more, you may ask Guests to do dishes, you can certainly not assume they will have done so.

[Sergio375]

Well, I got a bad evaluation as a guest for not cleaning properly. I found it ridiculous. I pay a rent plus a cleaning fee, why should I work - for free - in my holidays? If what you charge doesn't cover the expenses, charge more. But having to fully clean an apartment by the beach after 15 days of using it equals to almost one less day of vacations. Don't charge me for that day and I'll gladly do it

[Sarah977]

Sergio, I hope you read down the posts here so you understand what level of cleaning most hosts generally expect of their guests. If your host marked you down for cleanliness, because they expected you to vacuum the unit, wash the floors, or do the laundry, that would be unfair, especially if they charge a cleaning fee and aren't clear to guests about the cleaning level they expect.  But if they expected that you would wash your dirty dishes, throw garbage in the garbage can rather than the floor,  and not leave the place filthy, well, that is just expected of responsible adults.

Cleaning up your personal mess is not what I would consider "working for free", nor should it take anything like a full day of your vacation time unless you just never cleaned up anything for the whole 15 days of your stay.

[Sergio375]

I don't consider throwing out the garbage as cleaning. Of course I did that - and the dishes. Otherwise I would've lived amongst filth (and probably cockroaches ) for half a month. But after 15 days the floors were probably dirty, the towels wet and the sheets overused - yes, we used the same sheets everyday; clean sheets after a couple of days should be mandatory, imho.

My point is that if you are going to charge for cleaning, you shouldn't expect me to do it, and you certenly shouldn't be able to mark me down for that.  

[Marit-Anne0]

@Sergio375

Two reviews, both less than favourable.  I am beginning to see a pattern.....

[Aaltje0]

Hi Sergio, 

I am sure you mean well by doing what you did. 

It takes me usually two hours to clean my unit, even after it is left tidy by people. Some people wash dishes, but when I see marks on cutlery I will clean again. Then the shelves need cleaning, windows washed, cleaning fingerprints of ...everything. You come over to New Zealand and I will give you a demo of how to clean, and I am sure you can do it twice as fast since you are young and strong. Your mother will love you for it. 

Go for it Sergio, and hosts will give you five stars!  A Dios, Ella from New Zealand.

[Natalie198]

I think the best we can do is to not assume anybody’s habits and clearly state your expectations. As a guest, I always try to keep the place as tidy as possible, and I do not feel fair for the host to pick up my personal stuff (such as dishes, objects of personal hygiene or trash). 

However, as a host, I do not expect the same habits from my guests. Therefore, I charge very moderate cleaning fee and in house rules specify extra charges for unwashed dishes, perishable foods left, and trash not taken out.

Expectation from the guests to strip sheets from the bed and start laundry is quite an overkill, IMO.